Set nParticle Collisions properties

User Guide > Dynamics and Effects > nDynamics > nParticles > Creating nParticles >

When nParticles are created or emitted into a scene, they are capable of colliding with other nParticle, nCloth, or passive objects that are assigned to the same Nucleus solver. The nParticle object’s Collisions attributes determine how the nParticles behave when they collide with other Nucleus objects.

If you do not want an nParticle object to collide with other Nucleus objects, you can turn off the nParticle object’s Enable attribute. If you want to disable collisions between your nParticle object and specific Nucleus objects, you can set collisions layers (see Setting Collision Layersor use a Disable Collisions constraint (see Creating a Disable Collision constraint). For information about nParticle collision, see nDynamic Collisions.

You can use the Particle Collision Event Editor to create and edit nParticle collision events. See Use the Particle Collision Event Editor to emit, kill, or split particles upon contact.

To edit nParticle Collisions attributes

Select the nParticle object for which you want to edit Collisions attributes.
In the Attribute Editor click the nParticleShape tab.
To adjust the thickness of your nParticle object’s collision volumes, in the Collisions section of the Attribute Editor, do the following:
- Adjust the thickness of the collision volume between your nParticle object and other Nucleus objects it collides with by setting Collide Width Scale. See Collide Width Scale.
- Adjust the thickness of the collision volume between an nParticle object's self-colliding particles by setting Self-Collide Width Scale. See Self Collide Width Scale.
Edit the Collisions property values to adjust the basic behavior of your nParticles:
- Adjust Bounce to increase or decrease the nParticles' bounciness or their amount of deflection on collision.
- Adjust Friction to increase or decrease the amount the nParticles resist relative motion on collision.
- Adjust Stickiness to increase or decrease the tendency of the nParticles to stick to other Nucleus objects on collision.

Setting Collision Layers

You can specify whether or not certain nParticle, nCloth, and passive collision objects that are part of the same Maya Nucleus system collide with each other by using collision layers. The Collision Layer attribute on your nParticleShape node determines on which collision layer each nParticle, nCloth, and passive object is placed, and the Collision Layer Range attribute on your nucleus node determines how nParticle, nCloth, and passive collision objects on different layers collide. For more information on these collision layer attributes, see Collision Layer and Collision Layer Range.

NotenCloth and passive collision objects in collision layers only collide with nParticle objects that are in the same collision layer, or in layers of higher value.

To stop nParticles from colliding with other Nucleus objects

See Creating a Disable Collision constraint.

To stop nParticles from colliding with specific Maya Nucleus system members

See Creating an Exclude Collide Pairs constraint.